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In reply to the discussion: I hate to sound like an old fogey [View all]IrishAyes
(6,151 posts)It's like when the daughter of the Oklahoma's governor dresses up in Native American costume and calls those folks 'sheep'. Big stink about that recently.
I do enjoy clothing inspired by a certain respectful, historical ethnicity, but that also calls for a light touch. For instance I'll wear the occasional conservative dashiki or wraparound pants sometimes called 'fisherman' because they're lightweight and very comfortable. But it's a far cry from dressing in costume. In Los Angeles for many years I was involved with a wonderful man from Sri Lanka, and certain friends in that community gave me a few saris as a symbol of acceptance. I wore them at special gatherings but never as everyday wear or for commercial performance and not at all since the death of my beloved. They remain carefully packed away in a trunk to this day.
That said, I've heard some incredible white bluesmen and women, and equally stunning black opera singers. Maybe I'm not doing the best job explaining myself, but I trust you and others will follow the obvious sentiments and not misunderstand. Perhaps the best explanation rests on a recent event, when I discovered a young white r&b group called St. Paul and the Broken Bones. Didn't think I'd ever hear anything that glorious again, but they just blew me away. They're well on the road to taking the music world by storm. Extremely picky though I am about what I consider real music, I downright feel sorry for anyone who hasn't yet heard them.